Leaving Glenroe behind - Mary McEvoy says Bardic Matchmaker '˜is a bit of a romp'

While set in sixties rural Ireland, one of the play’s two actors, Mary McEvoy, believes the issues of loneliness and isolation are themes which apply just as well to a modern world where internet dating sites and social networks frequently replace face-to-face contact for so many men and women in 2016.

McEvoy, who stars alongside Jon Kenny, best known for D’Unbelievable’s, described The Matchmaker as “a bit of a romp, very earthy”, when she spoke to the TIMES ahead of the Donaghmore show.

Although best known for her role as Biddy in the RTE soap, Glenroe, Mary hopes people can recognise her for the much wider variety of performances she has been involved with both before and since then.

“I completely understand the affection people have for Glenroe, and it is affection that I have too, but sometimes I just feel I want to say to people, ‘Let me talk about something else!’”

McEvoy’s long and successful stage career includes roles in several other JB Keane plays such as Sive, The Field, The Chastitute, The Year of the Hiker & Moll, and she has also appeared in The Vagina Monologues, Shirley Valentine and Dancing At Lughnasa among many others.

The Westmeath actress is looking forward to her visit to Tyrone and the Bardic show, tickets for which are available at www.bardictheatre.com and Stuart’s Music Shop.

“It’s almost like Carry on Matchmaking or something!”, she quips, “But there is a lot of pathos and real life in there too.”